Tag: Adam Francis

A very fast track move used to freeze action for Longmire. The high-speed Cheetah motion control dolly has a top speed of 20 Feet Per Second, while remaining completely precise and repeatable. The scene was filmed with a Phantom high-speed camera in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Cheetah high-speed track drive can also be used on our Graphlite, Gazelle, and Impala motion control cranes.

Kevin Bacon stars as Kevin Bacon and Kevin Bacon and Kevin Bacon and Kevin Bacon and Kevin Bacon in this fantastic commercial for EE. Filmed with the Zebra motion control camera dolly with the Talon repeat head, and three Aerohead repeat heads, this commercial allows Kevin Bacon to reprise his roles from Apollo 13, Animal House, Friday the 13th, Footloose, A Few Good Men, and Hollow Man, with references in dialog to Tremors and Flatliners as well.

This commercial was shot on 6 Panavision Millennium 35mm Film Cameras, with 3 Aeroheads, a Talonon the Zebra, and additional cameras on Sticks. After everything was shot, motion control move data was exported from Kuper (for the zebra), and from the Aeroheads and given to production for use in post.

Motion Control provided by Pacific Motion Control. for more information, visit www.PacificMotion.net or call 818-768-1573

In the io9.com article “Interstellar Is the Best and Worst Space Opera You’ll Ever See“, author Annalee Newitz highlights the importance of the extensive use of miniatures in Interstellar. In it she writes, “Nolan shot the film using a lot of practical effects, and this really matters when it comes to the spaceship sequences. The pilot Cooper (a scenery-chewing Matthew McConaughey) and his crew are in a ring-shaped vessel called the Endurance, and every time the landing ships dock with it you can see the telltale wobbles that reveal this isn’t a perfect, clean CGI creation. I’m not saying the ships look like models — in fact, they look more realistic than anything digital. There’s a feeling of heft and fragility that you get with practical effects that CGI never achieves, and it’s perfect for this story”. While the author doesn’t love everything about the movie, she does point out an undeniable fact about the film. The spaceship scenes look beautifully realistic.

These models were built by New Deal Studios and were filmed with the Graphlite and other motion control equipment from Pacific Motion. Kuper operator, Joshua Cushner and techs, Craig Shumard, Adam Francis, and Garritt Hampton spent several weeks at new deal moving cameras and equipment. The end result is spectacular.

FXGuide recently published an article featuring the extensive motion control and miniatures work in Interstellar. Focusing primarily on the model building and special effects work of New Deal Studios, the article features some great shots of the Graphlite and the models. Pacific Motion Control provided a few motion control rigs for the filming of most of the space scenes and models. These included the Graphlite motion control crane, in its largest configuration, with a 3′ column riser and a 36″ arm extension. We also provided a bogey dolly, heavy duty turntable, and a heavy duty rotator, used to rotate the enormous models.

The realistic models and expert special effects allowed for extremely engaging and realistic space scenes. One particular effect referred to in the article is the mounting of a VistaVision camera to the models themselves. Director, Christopher Nolan wanted an intimate look at these beautiful ships as they careen through space. Pacific Motion Control, and motion control operator, Joshua Cushner were tasked with moving these giant models with precision, while the attached camera captured the rotation of lights and background for a breathtaking, up-close view of out-of-control spacecraft.